The current method of making a large molybdenum sputtering target is to cold isostatic press (CIP) Mo powder, sinter to reduce the oxygen content and then hot roll to a plate length/width/thickness desired. The plate then is machined to final tolerance. Mo sputtering targets made using the CIP, sinter and roll process are disadvantageous due to the sputter yield of the target and of the etching characteristics of the deposited thin film. This is related to the plate microstructure that is formed during the rolling process.